The Toronto Children's Chorus (TCC) is a children's choir based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. It was founded in 1978 by Jean Ashworth Bartle. The group has close to 350 members aged 6 to 18.

History

In 1982, the choir won first prize at the

International Eisteddfod The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a music festival which takes place every year during the second week of July in Llangollen, North Wales. It is one of several large annual Eisteddfodau in Wales. Singers and dancers from aroun ...

in Wales. Other awards followed including first place in the prestigious Let the Peoples Sing Competition in 1993 and numerous 1st places in the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

choral competition. The Toronto Children's Chorus has performed at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

(1994, 2016, 2023),

the Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

(1995), the

Kimmel Center The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue at 300 South Broad Street (Philadelphia), Broad Street and the corner of Spruce Street, along the stretch known as the Avenue of the Arts, Philadelphia, Avenue of the Ar ...

(2002),

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

(2002),

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

(1999, 2019),

Salzburg Cathedral Salzburg Cathedral () is the seventeenth-century Baroque architecture, Baroque cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg in the city of Salzburg, Austria, dedicated to Rupert of Salzburg, Saint Rupert and Vergilius of Salzburg, Saint ...

(2006) and

Stephansdom St. Stephen's Cathedral ( ) is a Roman Catholic church in Vienna, Austria, and the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schönborn. The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the ca ...

(2006). The Chorus was also honoured to serve as Artist-in-Residence for international children's choir festivals in

Tuscany, Italy Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

(1995) and

Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...

(1999). In August 2007, Elise Bradley, MNMZ, a New Zealand conductor and teacher previously based in Auckland, became the new Artistic Director of the organization. In July 2022, Zimfira Poloz became the organization's new Artistic Director.

Choir Structure

The TCC consists of nine choirs total: five Training Choirs (Miro, Spirito, Pasio, Anima, and Coro), the Main Choir (Cantare, Chorealis, and Chamber), and the Toronto Youth Choir for singers aged 14–30 (sopranos/altos 18+ and tenors/basses 14+). Children as young as 6 can audition for Spirito, and typically move up in the training choir levels over several years until they reach the Main Choir. The Chamber choir is the TCC's representative choir, composed of choristers with advanced musical and performance skills. Chamber represents the TCC and Toronto both nationally and internationally, performs in guest appearances, and embarks on tours. Within Chamber is a subset group, the Choral Scholars, who are the pinnacle of music ability in the choir structure, and demonstrate exceptional musical excellence and leadership. Choral scholars are typically the first choristers considered for solos, high-profile engagements, and specialized performances. In 2012, the Toronto Youth Choir was founded with the intention of providing an ensemble for choristers who have graduated out of the Main Choir, including tenors and basses whose voices may have dropped as early as age fourteen and no longer can perform in a treble choir. In the 2019/20 season, the TYC had 65 choristers aged 16 to 30. Additionally, the TCC runs the KinderNotes program, a weekly early years music education class for Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten aged children. TCC’s KinderNotes classes feature singing, movement, music reading, rhythmic skills, improvisation, and listening games.

Tours

*2023 – Washington, D.C., and New York City *2019 – New Zealand and Australia *2018 – New York (Toronto Youth Choir), Newfoundland *2017 – Spain and the 11th World Symposium on Choral Music in Barcelona *2016 – Boston and New York City - Carnegie Hall *2015 – Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland *2014 – Podium 2014 in Halifax, Canada *2013 – Ihlombe South Africa Choral Festival in Cape Town, South Africa *2013 – Montreal and Ottawa - Soundstreams and the Fujii Ensemble *2012 – Podium 2012 in Ottawa, Canada *2012 – Adolf Fredrik Music School's international "Let the Future Sing" festival in Stockholm, Sweden *2011 – 9th World Symposium on Choral Music in Puerto Madryn, Argentina *2011 – Melodia Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Buenos Aires, Argentina *2009 – Austria, Czech Republic, Germany *2006 – New York State *2006 – Hungary, Slovakia, Austria

Recordings

*''Dancing Day'' (1992) *''Mostly Britten'' (1993) *''Come Ye Makers of Song'' (2000) *''My Heart Soars'' (2004) *''Songs of the Lights'' (2005) *''How Sweet the Sound'' (2006) *''A Song for All Seasons'' (2007) *''A Ceremony of Carols'' (2009) *''Sounzscapes from Our Lands'' (2013)

Conductors

* 1978 to 2007 Jean Ashworth Bartle * 2007 to 2021 Elise Bradley * 2022 Matthew Otto (interim) * 2022 to Present Zimfira Poloz

References

External links

Toronto Children's Chorus web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toronto Childrens Chorus Canadian choirs Musical groups from Toronto Choirs of children Musical groups established in 1978 1978 establishments in Ontario